The 1 Home Environmental Test you HAVE to do
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that basically is sucked into your home from the ground.
When you inhale radon, you have no idea you’re inhaling it because it is colorless and doesn’t smell like anything and doesn’t taste like anything and what you are essentially doing is inhaling radioactive particles that get stuck inside your lungs where the radiation damages lung cells leading to cancer
After smoking, radon exposure is the second cause of lung cancer in the US. According to the EPA, it is responsible for about 21,000 deaths a year.
According to the EPA “Any home may have a radon problem. This means new and old homes, well sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.”
The tricky thing with radon is that if you don’t test for it there is no way of knowing you are exposed to high levels of it because it is symptom-less and once you are exposed there is no treatment.
Furthermore, Radon levels can vary significantly even from one house to the next; So your neighbor’s levels have nothing to do with your home levels.
If you want to be sure, test. If you are buying a house or building a new home - it is also a good idea to test.
IN-HOME RADON TEST
There are short-term (2- to 7-day) radon kits, long-term (90-day) kits and digital testers.
Long-term radon kits are more accurate since radon level vary a lot day to day. The more days you sample the more accurate your results.
I have : Air Things air quality monitorI had this in my past house and bought it again in our new home. I love it because it measures radon throughout the year continuously but also measures, VOCs, PM, humidity. You can install it on a wall or do what I do now which is sometimes move it around the house to test air quality in different areas of the house. For the purposes of radon, though you would want to keep it in the lowest level of your home for set period of time.
If you don’t want to invest in the above, there are smaller more portable testers, which I have also used in the past ( these are great if you’re considering purchasing a new home and want to test before purchasing or before moving in)
Leave the test device in one spot exposed for 91 days to 12 months under normal living conditions. at the end of the test. You shipped this to a lab and get results within a few weeks.
I haven’t used this one, but I really like that in addition to real-time digital radon readings along with short-term and long-term averages, It has an alarm that will sound if the levels pass the safety threshold.
Radon testing kits might be available locally for free. To learn more about the availability of test kits in your area, or to find a qualified testing or mitigation contractor, contact your state radon office (go to and click on your state for a list of contacts)
This is so timely! We just learned our condo building where we lived for over a decade has radon in the basement. We had all assumed the building had been tested years ago and was fine. Turns out we were wrong. I’m ordering now for our current home. Thank you!